


Uh I Think You Got The Wrong Guy - Part 2

by dickgrysvn



Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Hurt Rick, Hurt/Comfort, Light elements of torture, Poor Rick takes a beating, So does Rick, Thomas needs a hug, Whumptober 2020, leave your toxic masculinity at the door, platonic affection between men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26852929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dickgrysvn/pseuds/dickgrysvn
Summary: “Rick’s missing. He went to the bank two hours ago, shoulda been back in 45. And before you tell me it’s too soon, he took the Ferrari. Higgins just checked the tracker, and it’s not transmitting. Something’s wrong, Gordon. I can’t-” Higgins grabs him gently by the elbow when his voice breaks, and Thomas takes a deep breath to steady himself. “I can’t do this again, I can’t. Please.”{part two of Uh I Think You Got The Wrong Guy. Prompt fill for whumptober day 3 - Manhandled + Forced to their Knees + Held at Gunpoint}
Relationships: Theodore "T.C." Calvin & Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV & Orville Wilbur Richard "Rick" Wright
Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947247
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Uh I Think You Got The Wrong Guy - Part 2

**Author's Note:**

> HI. okay wow yeah sorry this is late and also MUCH longer than I was anticipating. So this is the continuation of my day 2 prompt, and Rick takes a beating in this one. But yeah I hope you enjoy! I’m gonna be behind on the rest of whumptober unless something crazy happens but I am planning on trying as many prompts as I can. Thanks!

  
Thomas is concerned. Rick should have been gone only 45 minutes, and he hasn’t responded to any of Thomas’ texts and now calls. He’d called the bank at the hour mark, asking if anyone matching Rick’s description was still there. He was informed that he was not, and Thomas felt his worry and anxiety skyrocket. He’d wanted to call Katsumoto then and there, but Higgins convinced him to wait. In the end he’d agreed, knowing she was right. Katsumoto would simply tell him it’s too soon. 

But it’s now been two hours, and even Higgins is getting visibly worried. TC had joined him in full-blown worry at hour one as well, which was no surprise to anyone. But when Higgins gets anxious, it’s decidedly not good. Higgins finally caves and checks the lo-jack, only to find it’s no longer transmitting. Thomas feels something heavy coil in his stomach. He decides to call Katsumoto anyway, and Higgins doesn’t stop him. She hovers at his elbow as it rings, and Thomas knows it’s a sure sign of how worried she is that she doesn’t even attempt to deter him. After a few rings, Katsumoto picks up, sounding exasperated as usual. 

_“What do you want, Magnum? I’m busy.”_ Thomas doesn’t mince words this time. 

“Rick’s missing. He went to the bank two hours ago, shoulda been back in 45. And before you tell me it’s too soon, he took the Ferrari. Higgins just checked the tracker, and it’s not transmitting. Something’s wrong, Gordon. I can’t-” Higgins grabs him gently by the elbow when his voice breaks, and Thomas takes a deep breath to steady himself. “I can’t do this again, I can’t. Please.” He hates the way he sounds so desperate and begging, but what else can he do? He can’t lose Rick this way, too. There’s a beat of silence, and then Gordon sighs.

_“Okay, I can’t make any promises, but I’ll see what I can do. Just… don’t do anything stupid. Or illegal. Or stupidly illegal,”_ Gordon says, and Thomas closes his eyes in relief.

“Can’t make any promises, either,” he retorts, voice thick and tight, and Gordon at least huffs a soft laugh.

_“Yeah, I know. Just be careful.”_ Thomas hums in acknowledgement and is about to hang up when Higgins’ grip on his arm tightens almost painfully.

“Thomas. Wait.” The tone of her voice sends a chill down Thomas’ spine, and he almost doesn’t want to ask.

“What?” Higgins lets go of his elbow and walks the few feet to her desk, and Thomas instantly feels like he’s floundering without her to ground him. “Jules. What is it?” Higgins reads something on her tablet for a moment, and Thomas feels sick at the way her shoulders tense up. “Higgins!” He means it to come out impatient and demanding, but instead it comes out like a scared, pleading whine. Higgins slowly looks up at him, and Thomas hates that look in her eyes.

“I think we just got a ransom note.” Thomas nearly drops the phone.

_“Magnum? Thomas, I’m on the way. Just sit tight.”_ Thomas can barely hear him with the phone forgotten in his hand, but he catches on to Gordon calling him by his first name. 

“Yeah. Hurry, please?” He doesn’t miss the way Higgins’ jaw tightens, nor how childish he sounds. Gordon doesn’t comment.

_“I know, Thomas. Just hang in there.”_

  
  


Ten minutes later, Katsumoto knocks on the front door. Thomas numbly lets him in, and Gordon briefly pats him on the shoulder as he passes him. TC stands up when he walks in, and Katsumoto greets him before turning to Higgins.

“Is it actually a ransom note?” Higgins hesitates, and then she nods. Thomas wants to scream, and he can see TC fidgeting like he wants to  _ do _ something. Thomas drifts closer to the desk, eying the tablet. Higgins hadn’t let them see it yet, saying she wanted to let Katsumoto see it first.

“It appears to be. And…” she hesitates again, glancing at TC and Thomas apologetically. Katsumoto raises an eyebrow, and she closes her eyes briefly. “There’s a video file attached to the email.” Thomas would’ve hit the floor then and there if it weren’t for TC’s firm hand on his shoulder. “I haven’t watched it yet. I was waiting for you.” 

Thomas wants to be mad. He wants to yell at her for not saying anything, but he knows she was right to wait. He steadies his breathing and blindly reaches out for TC, feeling the other man grab onto his arm. He slowly walks over to the desk, joining Higgins and Katsumoto. He holds his breath and reads over Katsumoto’s shoulder. The email is short and concise, and Thomas reads over his own name without registering it, and then TC breaks the silence.

“Uh, Tommy? Why are they sending Higgins an email saying they’ve got you?” Thomas does a double take, rereading the note. It does indeed imply they have him kidnapped, and it also indicates they want something from Robin that they Higgins can help them with should Robin not respond. And then it hits him. Rick had his ATM card, and was driving his car. If anyone was informed of his habits and not what he looked like…

“They took Rick because he had my car and ATM card, and now they think he’s me. And when they find out he’s not, who knows what they’ll do.” Thomas  _ hates _ this. Rick was taken because Thomas asked him to go to the bank for him, and Thomas is terrified now to open this video. He reaches out a shaky hand and taps on the file, and no one questions him. Somehow, they’ve all decided he should be the one to open this. The file opens, and Thomas hesitates for a fraction of a second before hitting play. 

The screen fills with a blurry, dark room, and a figure in the middle taped to a metal chair. He’s flanked on either side by two men with assault rifles, and another man stands just inside the frame, his back to the camera. The camera struggles to focus, and then everything comes into view. The entire room seems to lose their breath as Rick comes into focus. He’s disheveled and dirty, his usually well styled hair messy and hanging against his forehead. His head is hanging forward slightly, and his eyes are closed. For a moment, Thomas is certain he’s dead. The man just on the edge of frame turns around quickly, looking at the camera for a second and then yells to someone offscreen.

_“Sir! It’s on.”_ Rick’s eyes open and he lifts his head as another man comes into view, walking over to stand next to Rick. Thomas feels his heart twist when Rick looks up and Thomas can see the bruising on his neck and face. His temple and cheek are bloody, probably as a result of the rifle butts being held next to him. He smiles at the camera, and he looks a little tired but otherwise he seems okay. TC makes a strangled sound next to him, and Thomas grabs his shoulder tightly. Higgins is standing stiff and rigid, and Katsumoto is watching stone faced and silent. The man next to Rick gives the camera a humorless smile.

“Ah. Glad you could join us, Miss Higgins! As you can see, we have your friend here, and we think you may have access to something we want. The details are in the email, of course,this is just to.. ah, push you along. Thomas, why don’t you say hello to your friend?” On cue, one of the rifles is pressed to the side of Rick’s head, and Thomas stops breathing. Rick flinches away, and TC growls. Rick sets his face into a wide smile.

“I would wave but uh, as you can see I’m a little tied up at the moment. Took you guys long enough to join us, what, were you just chillin without me? Man, you guys are colder than St Petersburg in January.” Thomas can’t help the snort that escapes him at that, but it’s quickly drowned by the sound of the rifle barrel smacking Rick across the temple. Thomas clenches his fists, wanting nothing more than to punch the screen. Rick shakes his head, still smiling. “Oh, no talking about Russia, huh? Got it.” The comment is flippant and so  _ Rick _ it almost escapes notice. And then Thomas’ eyes widen.

“They’re Russian. Rick’s trying to tell us they’re Russian. That’s why they hit him.” And then it hits Thomas. “This isn’t a video. This is a livestream. If that was important info, they would have never sent this!” TC grins, but there’s pain in his eyes. He’s proud of Rick, but the realization that they’re watching their friend be hurt in real time and can do nothing about is agonizing. Katsumoto pulls out his phone and steps away, and Thomas splits his attention between him and the screen.  
  
“Hey, it’s me. Get me everything you can about any Russian nationals entering the country in the last week. Yeah, it’s time sensitive. Thanks.” Katsumoto hangs up just as the man who seems to be in charge turns back to the camera. 

“Now. Miss Higgins, if you please, you have two hours before we will contact you with another email. I suggest you have at least some info on what we are looking for by then, or I can’t promise it will be very pleasant for your friend here. And if you can’t find anything, I highly recommend you convince your boss to cooperate. It’s in Mr. Magnum’s best interest, after all.” He finishes talking, placing a gentle, almost caressing hand on Rick’s head. Higgins makes a sound like a cat hissing, and Thomas sees red. Rick jerks away, and then gives a shaky laugh. 

“Alexei, man, what is it with all your friends gettin’ handsy before we’ve even gotten past the introduction stage?” Katsumoto’s head shoots up at the name, and Thomas feels a surge of pride and affection.  _ Atta boy, Rick _ . The man with his hand still on Rick’s head almost frantically yells for the camera to be turned off, and the man standing just in frame rushes over to deal with it. But Rick isn’t done. He keeps talking, even as the man’s hand twists into his hair. “Whoah! Anton, buddy, at least buy me a drink!” There’s a sharp crack, followed by a strangled yelp as a rifle butt is slammed into Rick’s gut and Anton yanks his head back. The other man is in front of the camera now, struggling to turn it off. They can only just see Rick, enough to see he’s being effectively gagged and strangled by the three men around him. Higgins gasps, and Thomas wants to scream. TC makes a feral noise right behind him, placing a tight hand on Thomas’ shoulder. Anton is yelling for the camera to be turned off, and Rick is trying to yell and fight through the arms wrapped around his mouth and throat, and then everything goes black and silent. 

  
The office is left in stunned, seething silence, until it’s broken by Katsumoto on his phone again. 

“Hey, yeah, about those Russian nationals. Look for any named Alexei and Anton. Yeah. Okay thanks. Keep me updated. And keep an eye out for a red Ferrari, plate number Robin-2.” Katsumoto hangs up again, and it feels like they’re all waiting with baited breath. He sighs, and looks at Thomas. “It’s only been a few minutes, but they’re looking for people entering the country under those names, and they’re keeping an eye out for the Ferrari. They said we had two hours before they contact us again. Higgins, what do they want?” He turns to her now, and Juliet looks like she’s not seeing anything at all. Katsumoto says her name again, and she jolts to awareness like she’s been shocked. Thomas has always suspected she has a special soft spot for Rick, and he’s not too surprised she’s so shaken by this. Thomas watches as she gathers her composure before speaking. 

“They want something from Robin. They think I might be able to help them get it if Robin doesn’t respond, which he most likely won’t. They want his notes on a military operation he was embedded with last year. I’m not sure why they think I would be able to access those, however.” Katsumoto’s jaw tightens slightly at her answer. 

“This isn’t just about a ransom, or Robin. This is about a top secret military operation that Russian military want information on. We can’t give them what they want, even if we had it, so we need to focus on finding Rick. That’s my top priority. I’ll call this in, and we’ll let the CIA handle this. All we need to worry about is finding Rick.” Gordon looks over at Thomas and TC, face set and grim. “I will do my best to find him, I promise,” he tells them, and Thomas nods. 

“I know. Thanks, Gordon.” It’s a testament to the older man’s feelings on the subject when he doesn’t even comment on Thomas using his first name. Katsumoto pats a hand on Thomas’ good shoulder before heading for the door. They all watch him go, and a cold wave of apprehension and fear washes over them like the waves they were supposed to be surfing instead of searching for their friend. 

  
  


The next two hours crawl by at an agonizingly slow pace. Thomas paces Higgins’ little office, and Higgins doesn’t even comment. He floats between standing as close as he can to TC and hovering just behind Higgins’ elbow as she searches for Rick. When she had started hacking satellites, Thomas had raised an eyebrow only to be told that Katsumoto had told  _ Thomas  _ not to do anything illegal. He hadn’t said anything about Juliet. Thomas smiled tightly and continued pacing, not knowing what to do with all his nervous energy. He wants to be out helping Katsumoto, he wants to be out  _ doing  _ something, but he knows he’s useless without his right arm. So he sits, and he stands, and he paces, and he hovers, and he feels like he’s lost a part of himself. 

  
  


Ten minutes before the deadline is up, Higgins calls him over. 

“I borrowed a program from a, well let’s just call them a friend, shall we? Anyway, borrowed this from a friend of mine, and it should be able to trace their signal when we open the stream.” Thomas nods numbly, grabbing her shoulder gratefully. Higgins gives him a soft half smile, and Thomas nearly breaks. “We’ll find him, Magnum. You know we will.” Thomas doesn’t respond, but he reaches out for Higgins with his good hand and she quickly grabs it tight. She squeezes it, and Thomas is grateful for the way it grounds him just a little. 

  
  


Five minutes before the deadline is up, TC joins him at the desk. 

“Hey. We’ll find him, brother. You know we will. How many times have we found you?” Thomas huffs a strangled laugh, and TC wraps an arm carefully around his shoulders. Thomas leans into him and closes his eyes. “We’re not gonna lose another friend like this, Thomas, Katsumoto is helping to make sure of that.” Thomas doesn’t respond, but he presses his face into TC’s shoulder. He tries to tether himself to earth this way, because without this, without his friends, he feels like he’d float away forever. 

  
  
A minute before the two hour mark hits, Thomas positions himself in between TC and Higgins, their shoulders brushing just enough to keep him grounded. Katsumoto calls thirty seconds before, and Higgins wordlessly takes the phone from Thomas and puts it on speaker. Thomas is grateful. 

_“We know who they are. Commander Anton Nikolaevich Varenikov, Russian military. According to Russia, he was dishonorably discharged for ‘conduct unbecoming.’ From the sounds of it, his son died last year, and Varenikov went off the deep end. And from what I can tell, his son was killed in combat in a too secret mission, and might be an explanation as to why Varenikov is looking for Robin’s notes. I’m willing to bet Robin was involved in the operation that Varenikov’s son died on.”_ Thomas’ heart drops out of his chest entirely. They’re dealing with an unstable man looking for revenge for his son. Rick’s chances just got even slimmer. 

“Katsumoto, we have to find him. If this guy is unstable and he doesn’t get what he wants…” Thomas can’t even bring himself to finish. They all know what comes next, and it makes his blood run cold. Gordon sighs. 

_“I know, Magnum. We’ll find him.”_

The email pops up, and Thomas holds breath as Higgins clicks on it. There’s nothing written this time, just a link, and Higgins glances at Thomas and TC before clicking on it. They’re met with the same black screen, and then Higgins presses play. It feels like deja vu from the first time, the two men standing either side of the chair, a third just inside the frame, and Anton nowhere to be seen. The one thing that’s different is Rick. Thomas can’t help the shocked cry at the sight of him, and he hears TC inhale sharply. Rick is no longer sitting. He’s slumped in on himself, being held up only by the tape holding him in place. Thomas is reminded of a marionette puppet, slumped unused in a vague seated position. Cut the tape, and it all comes tumbling down. Something twists in his gut, and he feels like he could scream. 

“Rick…”

The man just inside the frame calls out that it’s on again, and this time, Rick is slow to lift his head. The room isn’t the brightest, and the camera quality isn’t the greatest, but Thomas feels like he just inhaled liquid nitrogen when Rick looks at the camera. He’s bleeding freely from several cuts on his forehead, and his throat looks red and bruised. The way he’s hunched around himself tells Thomas he must be dealing with some busted ribs, and Thomas prays there’s no internal bleeding. Because it won’t matter then if Varenikov’s men abuse him some more. If they can’t find him in time, Rick could die regardless. Thomas feels like he’s watching a nightmare, and he wishes that’s all this was. Rick tries to smile at the camera, but his teeth are bloodied and the sight is more gruesome than reassuring. Anton Varenikov walks into frame then, with a bright, callous smile on his face. 

“Ah, I see you’ve joined us once again! As you can see, your friend is still intact, if a little worse for wear, but well. He brought that on himself, really. However,” Varenikov frowns, “I am disappointed to see you haven’t sent me the information I’m asking for. Perhaps you just haven’t been able to find it yet, I understand. Well, maybe this will help you speed up your search, yes?” Thomas doesn’t even have time to register what that could imply before Rick is hit again with the butt of a rifle, and Thomas wishes he could attack them all through the screen. He wants to scream, but no sound comes out. Rick cries out in pain, surprised by the sudden brutality, and he’s trying to protect his ribs best he can as the two men roughly grab his arms and pull him upright. Rick bites out a strangled scream, and Thomas feels sick. One of the men grabs a knife with his other hand, and Thomas swears his heart stops. But then the man starts sawing at the tape, and Thomas realizes he’s been holding his breath so long he’s lightheaded. He exhales shakily, leaning on TC just slightly for support. 

The men finish cutting Rick free, and Thomas is again reminded of a puppet. Only they’ve just cut his strings, and now all that’s holding him up is the puppeteer, vicious and unfeeling. They drag him from the chair, and Rick looks like he’s trying to make a quip, but he appears to be in too much pain to get anything out. That alone is enough to terrify Thomas and TC. If Rick isn’t being snarky, then he’s in a seriously bad way. Rick struggles weakly to get his feet underneath him, but he’s concussed and most likely dealing with internal bleeding, and it doesn’t seem to work. The two men stop just in front of the camera and shove Rick roughly to his knees. Rick whimpers softly as his ribs are aggravated again, and TC stifles back a sob. Thomas feels too hollow to even react. Higgins is stiff and tense at his other side. 

“Oh God, Rick…” Thomas has never heard her so  _ broken _ , and it kills him. 

The two men are still holding Rick up, and Thomas knows if they were to let go he would hit the floor with no resistance. Varenikov steps up behind them, placing a gentle hand on Rick’s shoulder. Thomas flinches when Rick does, the wounded man weakly struggling to get away from the false, sickly sweet gesture of sympathy. Varenikov tuts sadly, reaching down and grabbing Rick’s chin carefully in his long fingers, forcing his head up towards the camera. Rick’s eyes are wide and unfocused, and this close to the camera Thomas can see the uneven size of his pupils. Thomas makes a catalog of the injuries he can see, and the list doesn’t bode well. Rick is running out of time. 

Varenikov tightens his grip on Rick’s chin, and Rick spasms weakly, struggling to get away. Somehow this is worse than watching him take a beating, and Thomas can’t help the tears that fall. Varenikov pulls Rick’s head back uncomfortably, and Rick gasps, struggling to pull air into his most likely bruised lungs. Higgins surges forward, opening her email and typing frantically. There’s the sound of an outgoing email, and then a ding on screen 30 seconds later. Varenikov reaches for his phone with his free hand, reading the email Higgins just sent him. He looks up at the camera with a smile that sends chills through Thomas. 

“See? Now was that so hard?” Varenikov releases his grip on Rick, patting his cheek as he gasps for breath. “Your friend does care about you after all,” he tells Rick, and Thomas wishes he could rip this man apart. And then Higgins’ computer dings, and she frantically opens the tracking software. Her hands fly to Thomas’ phone, still sitting on the desk from when Katsumoto called, and she quickly redials. 

“I found them.”

Time ceases to exist after that. It feels like both an eternity and that no time has passed when Varenikov looks back up at the camera again, a hard look in his eyes.

“I’m afraid your time is up, Ms. Higgins.You have thirty seconds.” He grabs Rick by the chin again, forcing his head back, and the phone in his hand is replaced by a wicked looking knife. Rick’s eyes slide closed, and Thomas can see him take a deep breath and hold it. He sees the way Rick sets his shoulders, bracing himself for that knife across his throat. Thomas can’t help it this time. He screams. The room explodes behind them, gunshots and yelling filling the audio. Varenikov goes down with a yell, and Rick’s head rolls forward. The two men holding him up suddenly forget about him, reaching for their weapons and turning to shoot. Rick goes down exactly like Thomas predicted he would, hitting the ground face down with zero resistance. Thomas can’t breathe. He thinks he might still be screaming, he’s not sure. He feels TC’s hand tight on his shoulder, and it’s the only thing keeping him from crumpling. The two men who had been holding Rick go down, and Alexei drops to his knees with his hands up. Katsumoto comes into view, tossing handcuffs to another officer before kneeling beside Rick. Thomas is startled to see a bright pinprick of red on the shoulder of Gordon’s white shirt, just next to the edge of the vest, and he reaches for the phone blindly. 

“Gordon? Is he okay? Are you?” Thomas hears how frantic and hoarse he sounds, but he doesn’t care. Gordon grabs his phone from his pocket where he’d kept it with the line still open, and he pushes speakerphone before setting it on the ground next to Rick. Thomas watches with baited breath as Gordon checks for a pulse, and he lets out a choked sob when Gordon sits back in relief. 

_“Yeah, Thomas, he’s alive. And yeah, I’m fine.”_ Two paramedics run over to join them, one of them checking briefly on Gordon but he waves them off. They can still hear his voice through the line.  _ “Yeah, I’m fine. Check on him, please,”  _ he tells them, and Thomas would be surprised by the concern he hears in the detective’s voice if he wasn’t so good at reading people. Katsumoto cares deeply and fiercely, despite all his efforts to convince them otherwise. Thomas doesn’t slight him for it. He has his own ways of keeping people at arm’s length. Gordon goes to stand, wincing slightly as he jostles his wounded arm, and Thomas has an idea. 

“Gordon?” He hears the other man grunt in acknowledgement. “Can you go with him?” Thomas sees the way he hesitates, and he lays it on as thick as he can. “Please. I don’t want him to be alone,” he pleads. He’s not lying. He truly doesn’t want Rick to be alone. But he also knows that if Gordon gets on the ambulance, the paramedics will be able to actually take a look at his arm. Gordon sighs, pinching his nose with his good hand. If he knows what Thomas is up to, and Thomas is certain he does, he doesn’t protest. 

_“Yeah. Sure.”_

It’s a good thing that Thomas can’t drive right now, because the ride to the hospital goes by in such a blur he would’ve crashed had he been driving. Katsumoto is there in the waiting room when they arrive, his left arm in a sling. He’s talking to two officers, and when he sees them he excused himself and slowly makes his way over. He hasn’t changed, his shirt’s still a fair imitation of a Jackson Pollack, but it’s obvious he’s had his injury taken care of. Thomas immediately relaxes just a bit. Somehow, Gordon notices. 

“I’m fine, Magnum. I promise,” he says preemptively, and Thomas smiles. “They’re moving Rick to recovery right now, he’ll be in a room in a few minutes. He’s okay, there wasn’t anything that required surgery. Just a concussion, a couple cuts, some busted ribs and some mild internal bruising. He’ll be alright,” Katsumoto tells them, and Thomas feels like he might pass out. 

_It’s over. He’s safe. He’s okay._

  
  
  
  


Several hours later finds the four of them sprawled out in various locations of Rick’s hotel room, despite visitation hours being long past. Katsumoto had quietly requested they be allowed to stay, as a safety measure, and no one was about to deny an HPD detective extra security for a victim. Thomas and TC are slumped over either side of Rick’s bed, head pillowed in their arms, hands resting so close to Rick’s they might as well be holding on to him. Higgins is in a chair immediately to Thomas’ left, curled up impossibly small. Gordon is sitting in a chair by the door, the cup of coffee in his hand long forgotten as he rests with his head tipped back against the wall, eyes half open as he watches the haphazard little family in front of him. He’d half a mind to wake Thomas up earlier when the man had first slumped over sound asleep. He didn’t think it was a very comfortable position with a sore shoulder, but he hadn’t had the heart to wake him up. He knows he doesn’t need to stay like this, but he can’t bring himself to leave. His shoulder aches, and it’s a sharp reminder of just how close they came to losing Rick Wright today. He tells himself he’ll leave once Rick wakes up, but somehow he knows it’s a lie. 

  
  


Four and a half hours after they all piled into his hospital room, Rick’s heart monitor shows a hitch in the rhythm. Gordon’s head pops up from the wall, and he watches carefully, ready to wake the others up should Rick wake up without them noticing. Rick’s fingers twitch slightly, and Thomas pops his head up so fast he must give himself whiplash. 

“Rick?” He’s met with a soft groan and fluttering eyelashes in response, and Gordon can see the way Thomas’ shoulders lose any tension they had left in them. “Hey, buddy. Good to see you awake,” Thomas whispers, and Rick slowly opens his eyes all the way. 

“Hey, TM.” Rick’s voice is hoarse and scratchy, and Thomas struggles to reach the cup of water with his opposite hand. Gordon almost gets up to help, and then Thomas manages to snag it and hold it up for Rick. The other man sips blissfully, and he sighs when Thomas pulls the straw away. “Thanks. Who knew water tasted so good, huh?” Rick sounds almost like his normal self, and Gordon smiles softly. “How’d you guys find me?” Thomas tenses instantly. 

“Higgins borrowed a tracking program from a hacker friend. We were able to track the livestream.” There’s a beat of silence, and then Thomas continues haltingly. “Rick, I– seeing you like that… I’m so, so sorry, this was all my fault. If I had never asked you to go to the bank for me–”

“Then it would have been you in this hospital bed instead of me, if not dead. Don’t you dare apologize and blame yourself for this, Tommy. You hear me?” Rick’s voice is surprisingly strong, and Thomas nods. Rick scrabbles for his hand, and Thomas obliges. “Look at me. I’m fine. What, concussion and a couple bruised ribs? I’m alright, Thomas. I’ve been through worse.” Thomas drops his head, squeezing Rick’s hand tightly. 

“I know. I just… I couldn’t help but think about Nuzzo. And if we had lost you like we lost him, and it was my fault–” 

“Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, if you say this was your fault one more time I will kick you out of this room myself. Ya know what–” Rick smacks TC on the back of the head, and the larger man shoots boot upright in his seat. He starts to rub the back of his head in confusion, and then he notices Rick. Before he can even react, Rick is waving a weary hand at him. “Tell Tommy boy here that this wasn’t his fault and if he says it one more time we’re gonna kick him from the room,” he commands, dropping his head back against his pillow and closing his eyes. TC opens his mouth and closes it again, clearly baffled by the situation he just woke up to. Rick cracks an eye open incredulously. “I wasn’t being funny, I’m serious!” TC looks from Thomas to Rick and then back to Thomas, and seems to notice the emotional state of the latter. 

“Come on, Thomas, you know he’s right! This ain’t your fault, brother. If it hadn’t been Rick then it would’ve been you, and neither one of those outcomes is better than the other. Ya hear me?” He reaches across the bed and places a hand on Thomas’ shoulder, and Thomas takes a deep breath. 

“Yeah. Okay. I hear you.” Rick smiles then, eyes still closed, and squeezes Thomas’ hand tightly. 

“Atta boy,” he mumbles softly, and then he practically yells. “Katsumoto, I know you’re awake. Can somebody wake Higgy please? I want to hear her wonderful British accent wishing me well.” Gordon snorts, and he gets up slowly. Thomas gently shakes Higgins awake, and she’s stirring quietly when Gordon reaches the foot of the bed. He smiles at Rick, and the man meets his eyes with a brilliant grin. It immediately fades when he notices the sling. “You okay?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just caught a stray bullet when we pulled you out, nothing major. Just a couple stitches and limited movement for a bit,” he shrugs, hoping Rick doesn’t feel the same guilt Thomas is dealing with. Rick’s face morphs into one of extreme gratitude, and he nods. 

“Thank you, Katsumoto. I know you saved my life in there. I was certain I was a goner.” Gordon shakes his head, gesturing to the now awake Higgins. 

“That was all Higgins. She gave us your location just in time.” Rick’s eyes light up when he notices her awake.  
  
“Jules! Sounds like I owe ya one, yeah?” Juliet reaches out and places a hand over Rick’s hand still wrapped in Thomas’, and she smiles. 

“You don’t owe me anything, Rick. I’m just glad you’re alright,” she says softly, and Rick grins. 

“See? That accent could make anything better!” The whole room erupts in exasperated groans, and Rick’s grin grows even wider. “Ah man I love you guys.”

  
Gordon snags his chair and slides it closer to the bed, conceding to himself that he’s going to be staying for quite sometime. But he doesn’t mind. He’s grown to appreciate this little group, for all their quirks and illegal habits. He’s beyond grateful that it’s stayed intact today. They need each other, and, he’s finding, he needs them too. 


End file.
